Tilting-body vehicle



May 19, 192s. l 1,538,876

. F. A. wHrrTEN TILTIN BODY VEHICLE Filed July v. 1922 www . Mullin ynvent-oz Y Patented May 19, v1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. WRITTEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL MOTORS COR- IORATION, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TILTING-BODY VEHICLE.

Application filed July 7,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. VHITTEN, a citizen of the United States, and a. resident of Detroit, county of Vayne, and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tilting-Body Vehicles, of which the following is a. full, clear, concise, and exact description, such as `will enable others skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to vehicles or trucks of the general class or type having a dumping body, so that the material carried thereby can be discharged quickly and practically as a unitary mass; and particularly to ,dumping body trucks or vehicles wherein the load is carried in a tilting receptacle or body supported upon a suitable frame and from which the material may be discharged by tipping the body, and in which the material is discharged .or dumped from the body at the rear end of the vehicle when the body is tipped.

In dumping body vehicles of the `general type above referred to the tilting body or receptacle has ordinarily been so placed that its center of gravity is close to or immediately over, or even behind the rear axle of the vehicle; this location and arrangement being used because of the assumed necessity of discharging the contents of the receptacle beyond and free from the rear end of kthe frame whereby the receptacle is carried, vand because of the fact that the spring arrangement for supporting the frame has ordinarily been such as to interfere with the operation of the body and the proper dumping of the contents therefrom elsewhere than beyond `or rearwardly of the rearmost part of the vehicle frame: it being obviously necessary, or at least highlydesirable, that the material as it flows from the body shall not come into Contact with parts of thevehicle such as a spring thereof, a cross-bar of the frame, or other member. The result of such a location ofthe body and of such a scheme of dumping has been that anunduly large part of the load has been concentrated over or near the rear axle; thus necessitating the use of an unduly strong rear axle and spring arrangement and parts 1922. Serial No, 573,427.

the front and rear axles; and a further ob- 4 ject of my invention incident to lthe, forward location of the load is to provide a dumping body truck of the type referred to wherein the load is dumped between side frame members of the frame thereof, and in which the rear end or discharge lip of the tilting receptacle or body moves downward between side members of the frame and in front of a .rear cross member` thereof during the `dumpingoperation; the load being thus discharged downward and through the frame as distinguished from over and beyond the rear end thereof during the dumping operation.

With the above and other objects of invention in view my invention consists in the improved tilting body dumping vehicle or truck illustrated in the accompanying draw Ving and hereafter described and claimed;

and in such variations and modifications thereof, within the scope of the concluding claims, as will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art to which my invention relates.

In the drawing accompanying and forming apart of this specification and wherein the preferred embodiment of my linvention is illustrated:

Figure l is a fragmentary view showing the rear end of a truck in side elevation and equipped with a dumping body in accordance with my invention, the body being in its level or load carrying position.

Figure 2 isa similar view showing the body in its dumping or load discharging position.

Figure 3 is a view showing the truck in elevation and as seen from a position to the rear thereof, the body being in the position in which it is shown in Figure 1.

Figure l is a view similar to Figure 3 but frame nor with the form of Vthe various elements which `constitute the same.

Secured to and supported by the sidebais of the frame are two transversesillsl, 14, andrl, 16 designatetwottracks or railssupported by said sills and yspaced: inward from the side bais.1 0,'11 of the frame; therear portions of said tracks beingfbent 'downward andprovided with hook-shaped abutments V17, 18 at their rear ends. These tracks orrails are shownas tied together by cross bars '19,520 to strengthen the structure .'afiid to' provide elements.cooperating with `thetilting load carrying body which is supported thereby, as will hereinafter appear. 4Supported upontlie rails 15, 1'6 is a rochingor tilting'load carrying hopper or' body "21; the saine preferably comprising angle iron frames 22, 23 bent to extend along the .bottom and,front and rear .ends of the body side plates 24, 25 ,secured along said frames y Y by suitably spaced rivets 26, and a bottom plate 27 bent toconform ,with` the frames and 'to provide a forward substantially fiat and horizontal forward' bottom and .un upright front end, and a rear inclined'bottom and end portion terminating in ta pouring lip;

said'b'ottoin plate beingsecured at its side edges to the frames 2 2, 23`by rivets' 'The rails 1 5, 1 6 are provided witliholes so yspacedthat theheads of the rivets 28 will enterthm oneafter another as the body is tilted Y to dump I the material vtherefroin 5 and the` outer sidesor flange of the angle iron frames 2 2 23 -beinof outside the said railsn 7 a t: f preventjdisplacementof the body dui-ing. the

`tilting thereof to dump theiload andthe returnoinovement .of the body into its load carrying position.

The body 21 is obviously narrower than i thefranie ofthe trucland the saine is arranged andsupported so far forward upon the1 `franie `that wlientlie body is tilted to dischargeits.contents atthe rear end of the vehicle the rear end-ofthe body willmove .downward between theside members 10,A 11,

and in front of the rea-r cross bar'1 2 thus discharging the load downward through the frame as distinguislied from over or beyond the rearend thereof and providing a "construction wherein the eenterfof gravity of .the load while it is'being carried'before dump-i is located well in front of the rear axle of the vehicle, and a construction in which (because of downwardlyzinclined rear portions of the rails 15,16)` the pouring lip 3() -of the hopper will be brought closer to the f ground.y than has heretofore commonly been the case ,in rearwardly discharging dumping body vehicles of the type or class to which` my invention relates.

The body 21 is'so shaped that when carryng-its-loafd'andresting upon the at'portion of its bottom, as shown in Figure 1it may nevertheless bereadily; tipped to dump the same; the yinitial movement Ubei-ng im- Aparted-to the body bya spring 31 which is pivotally'connected witlifthecross-bar 20 a'nd with tlie'body adjacent tlielip through a chain 32,assisted -by-a push from thel operator of :the itiuck, if necessary. l lTl'i-is spring is-so arrangedI that itwillbe stressed when the operator returns the body v to f its 'level position after dumping,andwill ordinarily act with sufficient force toA accomplish the dumping'whenlt'he operatorieleases tlie latch mechanism at the front end of' the body which yacts to prevent the dumping tliereofwhile kthe load is beingtiansported. Y

The latch-mechanisml referred to is shown as comprising a U-shapedbail SSjtlie depending sides of kw'v'liicli extendfloosely through holes in brackets carriedby the traclrmeinbers V15, A1G,y and which f bail vis resiliently lheld 'in an upright position by springs 34, 435 surrounding thel-ow-,er ends of` said sides; and-which bail is drawn-into position overlugs 36, 37-at Vthe sides ofthe body to hold the same horizontal, .and'is disengaged vfrom saidlugs to permit *the contentsgof the body to bedischarged, by a klever 3S-pivotally supported at`39- centrally upon the "front wall of V'thefbody and'li'aving cam surfaces adaptedwhen the lever is-operate'd4 by the operator/of ythe vehicle tohact upon the cross portion `of-the bailv l553i tof-cause 'it toengagethe' said* lugs 36, .37 zand-"to move said k-bailk out of engagement with d,the lugs.

"This ylatch mechanism, however,"'forins lno kpart VVof the inventionl to which this present application i'elat-es,andfthe features offcenstruction Athereof are therefore Anot claimed herein.

Tliebody-21 is-provided with pins 40, 41 which come into contact withthe hooks 17,

118 when tliefduin-pingvoecursto thereby pre- -vent thebody .from slipping voff the-rails;

and the 'tilting movement of sai'dbo'dy is klimited by a centrally disposed-chain/421the rlower end ofrwliich-is connecte'dwitlift-lie front c rossbarv 19 throughs-a spring buffer lli) 43; 'The Vfront wall of the fbody comes 35' vagainst a stopf44f and ,another inlinee'with it) carriedbytlie rails 15,116when"thebedy is in its horizontal-position; and-a transverse cleat 45 upon the `bottom walloftliefbody lies in front offthe rear cross sill 14-to more surely prevent displacement of the body while the same is in its level and load carrying position.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a dumping body vehicle of the class described, a suitable frame having oppositely disposed side members; two tracks or rails supported by said side members and -lll extending longitudinally of the frame, and which tracks are spaced inward from the vertical planes of said side members so as to lie closer together than said members; and a tilting body narrower than said frame and resting upon said rails, and having a pouring lip at its rear end; said body being so supported that said lip is always in front of the rear ends of said side members.

2. In a dumping body vehicle of the class described, a suitable frame having oppositely disposed side members; two tracks or rails supported by said side members and extending longitudinally of the frame, and which tracks are spaced inward on the vertical planes of said side members so as to lie closer together than said members, said tracks comprising front substantially horizontal portions and rear downwardly inclined portions; and a. tilting body narrower than said frame and resting upon said rails, and having a. pouring lip at its rear end.

3. In a dumping body vehicle of the class described, a suitable frame having oppositely disposed side members, and an end member connecting the rear ends of said side members together; two tracks or rails supported by said side members and extending longitudinally of the frame, and which tracks are spaced inward from the vertical planes of said side members so as to lie closer together than said members, said tracks comprising front substantially horizontal portions and rear downwardly inclined portions; and a tilting body narrower than sai" i.ame and resting upon said rails, and having a pouring lip at its rear end; said body being so arranged relative to the frame that the contents thereof is discharged over said lip and downward between the rear ends of said frame members and in front of said rear end connecting member as said body is tilted.

4. In a dumping body vehicle of the class described, a suitable frame having oppositely disposed side members, and an end member connecting the rear ends of said side members together; two tracks or rails supported by said side members and extending longitudinally of the frame, the front portions of said rails being substantially horizontal and the rear portions thereof being inclined downward, and said rails being spaced inward from the vertical planes of said side members so as to lie closer together than said side members; and a tilting body narrower than said frame and resting upon said rails,said body having a forward snostantially horizontal bottom portion, and a rear inclined bottom and end portion terminating in a pouring lip; said body being supported in front of the rear axle of the vehicle and the length thereof being such that the lip aforesaid moves downward between said side frame members, and in front of said rear connecting member, as the body is tilted to discharge the contents thereof` In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

FRANK A. WHITTEN. 

